Junior School

Book Week Celebrations in the Junior School 

Article by Maria Muse - Canowindra Library Manager

The theme of Book Week this year was “Book an Adventure”. Books are the gateway to incredible journeys. They spark our imagination and take us to places we’ve never dreamed of. Students rose to the challenge of capturing that sense of discovery and exploration through this theme. Whether the reader is discovering new lands, solving mysteries, or meeting unforgettable characters, each story is a journey waiting just for them. 

A number of authors and illustrators visited the Junior School students, to share their experience of creating children’s books. On Monday, the Prep and Year 1 students were visited by author Patrick Guest who has written several picture books, including Windows, Greg the Galah Superstar!, Baboon in a Balloon, The Second Sky and Rabby the Brave. The sessions were highly engaging, featuring a special appearance by a scary wolf! 

On Wednesday, the Year 2 students exercised their “imagination muscle” during their session with author Alex Miles. She has written the Zac Power Spy Camp series, Olive Black series and Girl Geeks series. The students contributed a plethora of ideas during the workshop and they were inspired to write their own stories after her useful tips. 

The Year 3 students participated in a session with author Emma Bowd, an award-winning and internationally published author of books for children and adults. Her picture books for children include Children’s Book Council of Australia notable book Wonderful Shoes, The Day You Were Born and This Is My Happy Place. Emma challenged the students to be “word detectives”, searching for rhyme, alliteration and onomatopoeia in her picture books. They were especially delighted by a preview reading of her upcoming book The Christmas Tree Catastrophe. 

The Year 4 students were highly engaged in their session with Martin Chatterton, an author and illustrator with many books to his credit, including the Middle School series and the picture book Winter of the White Bear. His presentation included optical illusions, magic tricks and live drawings. The students particularly enjoyed the latter, with some brave students acting as models for the amusing illustrations. 

The Junior School was thrilled to welcome some Year 9 students to conduct story-telling sessions during lunchtimes throughout Book Week. Year 3 and 4 students also participated enthusiastically in a “Story Walk” during lunchtimes. It was certainly a fun and adventurous Book Week for the Junior School students. 

A sense of fun and adventure was in the air throughout the Junior School on the morning of Friday 22nd August with anticipation of the annual Book Week Street Parade. Students and staff had a joyous time parading around the school grounds in their creative character costumes.  With some catchy tunes playing in the background, the Junior School students and staff proudly strutted and danced their way past a welcoming crowd, consisting of parents, friends and families. 

At our Book Week Assembly on Friday afternoon, the result of our book week voting was revealed.  During the assembly, the Junior School students were challenged to find the pirate’s treasure by displaying their knowledge of this year’s shortlisted books. The favourite book in the Junior School was “Spiro” by Anna McGregor. We also had the pleasure of announcing the Book Week competition winners.  Thanks to all the students who took the time and effort to enter the competitions. Congratulations to the winners – there were many high-quality entries, which celebrated the theme and the Children’s Book Council of Australia shortlisted books. 

The Impact of Reading for Pleasure 

Article by Megan Crewe – Junior School English Leader  

Reading is not just a school activity – it’s a life skill that opens doors to imagination, knowledge, and confidence.The Australian Curriculum recognises reading as a core part of the English learning area, emphasising both decoding words and making meaning from texts. Recent international research in the UK and US strongly suggests that frequent reading for enjoyment helps raise reading achievement and academic success. 

A UK longitudinal study (Dr. Alice Sullivan) found children who read books often at age 10 and more than weekly at 16 made significantly more progress in vocabulary, spelling and maths by age 16 than peers who read less; the effect was 4× larger than having a parent with a degree.  In the US, a large cohort of more than 10,000 adolescents found early initiated reading for pleasure is associated with better cognitive performance, better mental well-being, and differences in brain structure; (Yun-Jun Sun & Barbara J. Sahakian et al.) 

The research highlights that reading for pleasure has a positive impact on: 

• reading attainment and writing ability 

• text comprehension and grammar 

• breadth of vocabulary 

• positive reading attitudes 

• self-confidence as a reader 

• pleasure in reading in later life. 

In Junior School, our Year 3 team have been ‘bringing books to life’ through the provision of engagement experiences that link to the class novel ‘The Boy Who Grew Dragons’, written by Andy Shepherd. From a mysterious snoring box arriving in the classrooms, to ‘something’ breaking free from the box and a nest being built in the classroom the engagement in reading for pleasure has skyrocketed.  

At home, you can bring this to life by creating a reading-friendly environment and showing that reading is valued and enjoyed. This might mean setting aside a regular family reading time, visiting the local library, or letting your child choose books that match their interests – whether that’s dinosaurs, space, cooking, or comics. The key is to make reading feel like a choice and a joy, not a chore.